A US Airways flight carrying U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and 79 other passengers from Washington DC to Burlington made an unscheduled landing in Philadelphia Friday morning after pilots reported mechanical problems.

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Leahy identified the pilot as Drew Chace, who happens to be a Vermonter, and said the plane landed in Philadelphia because "it has the longest runway."

The senator said the crew got the landing gear in place before touching down.

US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher told the Associated Press that the 80 passengers and four crew members landed safely and were rerouted.

"The pilot was superb," Leahy told reporters later. "He kept coming on telling us exactly what was happening, what the different sounds meant and why we shouldn't worry about the fire and foam trucks we saw on the runway" in Philadelphia.

The flight had left Washington's Reagan National Airport just after 10 a.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the mechanical problems.

Leahy joked that his wife, Marcelle, who was also on the plane "was the brave one" and said she translated what was being said by the pilot into French to help some Canadian passengers.